Ok. I've been reading some of the posts, and I guess I'm not as weak in this area as I thought. I've attended several workshops and last year our school was designated a "STEM" school and received 3 classroom carts of IPADs. I've since left that school; but prior to leaving, I really didn't feel they were put to good use yet. I'm sure we're all on the learning curve as well and trust they've found more use for them than looking up vocab words (I teach English)....since my kids use their phones for that.
Our school uses faculty meetings to spend a few minutes for a staff member or tech person to pass on the latest and greatest tech for classroom. I used EDMODO last year for the first time with some level of success.
Since in this course, I've totally enjoyed hearing about the new things and have spent my days playing with some of the suggestions given here.
Our principal is looking for interactive for the students, not just using jeapordy for review. I am looking for a user friendly story writer with graphics. I can't remember the name of the one I used last year ...toonsdo...or something. But I really didn't like it.
Carol,
Sharing new technology for the classroom during faculty meetings is a great idea- it is fantastic your new institution does this! It is a shame about the iPads where you previously taught, but without proper training, I can see how this could happen.
I am glad you are taking away some new ideas from this course and your institution is looking to incorporate more technology in the classroom to engage students. I am not familiar with many interactive story writers, but have included a couple below that look user-friendly:
http://storybird.com/
http://www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Carol,
It sound to me that you are more experienced than you may think! You bring up a great point though, without consistent use it easy to forget how to navigate the interface or all of the tools available in say Edmodo and Blackboard.
What technology do you have at your disposal? Do your students have access to computers during class time or are you looking for out of class resources that support your curriculum?
Theresa Schmitt
I'm showing my age terribly when I say my reaction to social media sites such as Facebook was that I thought them to be a colossal waste of time. But after watching the events in Egypt recently that were coordinated through social media, and the introduction of oter new ideas, my thoughts are changing.
To some extent, I find myself playing catch-up with the new technologies, but it's a fun game for me to play.
We have laptop carts that I often bring to the classroom. We also have a couple of labs, but those are usually booked. I have enjoyed this course so much and gained so much information, I am afraid I am going to forget it. I am going to print off pages. In fact, I'm afraid to finish the course until I can get to a printer so I can be sure to access the course to get what I need off.
My goal for this year is to book the laptop carts every other week or so and use the resources I've learned in this course to integrate interactive technology for my students. I teach English/Language Arts to 8th grade special ed students. I understand that the students coming are very low level readers, so I'm hoping to use technology that will motivate students to increase vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
I try to stay up on new educational technologies through journals and continuing education courses. I was able to complete 9 credits of educational technology in graduate school while completing my master's. This experience has proven to be paramount to my students' success.
I am still trying to familiarize myself with new technologies. However I tend to stick with PowerPoint because I am more comfortable with it.
It's really on me to stay abreast on new technology that might help me in the classroom, but between PowerPoint, video clips from various sources and emails, I'm getting it done. It's important to take a peek at future technologies that might help with the learning experience, but stick with what works for you.
I have attended and will continue attending the faculty trainings that are provided by the school.
I am staying abreat of emerging technologies in several ways. Last month, I attended an international conference in San Francisco on Education Simulation. It was a very large conference. There were over one hunded courses to choose from and it was spread out over 4 days. The event was no cost to educators from the healthcare industry. There were all levels of classes from beginners to advanced users. It went for one day and attended a course on how to use low level simuation in the classroom with existing technology. It was very beneficial. I am also experimenting with Canvas right now which is an elearning environment for students.
Julio,
Yes, sticking with what works for you is key. When technology becomes a hindrance rather than an effective tool for both you and your students, it defeats the purpose. Hopefully after completing this course you will feel comfortable incorporating technologies that work well with the tools you have already incorporated into your curriculum, such as Google docs for online sharing and review, or Zoho, for collaborative learning projects.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Cynthia,
The conference you attended sounds amazing, and fantastic the organizers chose not charge educators! Thank you for sharing your experience. I found a link to the conference website below for others who may want to attend next year:
http://healthysimulation.com/2880/cae-healthcares-world-hpsn-conference/
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
New technologies are changing so quickly. As soon as I get used to one, then another comes around. As an "older" person, I tend to rely on my kids to help me out. They are the generation of my students and are more aware of what is going on. I can ask for their help without being embarrassed. This helps me a lot. I also try to force myself to embrace the new technologies. If I get scared of them, then I can't learn them. I fear I would fall too far behind the curve. I think forcing this old dog to learn new tricks is keeping my mind young.
Deborah,
Asking your children for assistance is fantastic. I am sure it acts as a bonding experience and they can provide feedback on what they find captivating about your course materials.
Thank you for sharing!
Yours in learning,
Theresa Schmitt
Some emerging technologies were just "ordered" to us. You need to implement the following: TURNITIN.com, MyPsychLab.com, which are two of many. These are great tools, I wish I had more training myself. I pretty much went through all their resources and training available on my own. I think a good way to get instructors into all these new technologies is to provide trainig to them on each single one instead of having them to learn it on their own. But that is how I stay abreast of what needs to be used in the classroom. In addition, it is great to have a teenage son, he is updated on the newest technologies and is of great help when it comes to what young adults are into as well as helping with terminology and usage.
Volunteering time at a school and in particular spending time with the younger generation. Also having kids has helped me to keep up with what is current. The use of technology has really changed the ability to access information and quickly. Being around the youth has been the way I have stayed current.
Staying abreast of emerging technologies I agree has become apart of our society. To stay abreast one much read and engage in the upgrades for the computer, iPad, iPhone, tablets etc. This is constant learning. This generation seem to have mastered the technology. We as educators must enhance our knowledge so that we want be embarrassed when conveying information to the students.
I am continually in search for new methodologies that engage the learner visually and create an atmosphere of interest. Also, with these technologies used by class participants I use technologies that allow me to be out and among my students when presenting and modeling examples via multimedia of the real-left context of class material.
I have the same issue. Due to corporate policy, facebook is considered fraternizing with students. And, we don't have an interactive portal system. So, youtube.com and anything useful on the web are my go-to sources. Also, I have personal Netflix and Amazon.com accounts. With internet access in the classroom, I can pull up any documentaries that I have bought and show them to students.
Stephanie,
With so many titles available on every topic under the sun, Netflix and Amazon are a fantastic resource. Each term, I create my lesson plan, including all videos I plan to show, and submit it to the school librarian to ensure we have permission as an institution to playback the video. Very rarely is there an issue, but if it is not listed in the Swank directory (http://www.swank.com/), we do need to look for other alternatives.
Yours in learning,
Theresa Schmitt
